


Closing the Distance

by elem (elem44)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 19:48:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10225802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elem44/pseuds/elem
Summary: Post Endgame. Eight months after their return, Chakotay is alone, pursuing the origins of the Voth. Kathryn visits him on his island hideaway.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some Vambies will recognise the scene from KJ’s KK “Can you see the ocean???” This fic was well in the works at the time, but a few judicious changes and it slotted in quite nicely, so to speak.

Chakotay rolled over, pulling his pillow over his head, the heat of the coming day evident already, even though it was only early morning. He should get up; Amana would be here soon with his breakfast. Rolling on to his back, he stared at the thatch roof of his hut. He had been here on the island for three and a half months now. His work here was absorbing and interesting and each day he moved closer to discovering the lost ancestors of the Voth. The riddle of the Delta Quadrant saurian species, and especially Professor Gegan’s theory of distant origin, had gnawed at him over the years. After debriefings were over, he’d packed up his meagre belongings and set off to find evidence of this intriguing species and proof that the Voth’s ancestors had evolved on Earth millions of years ago.

He’d concentrated his search to the Equatorial regions of Earth, hypothesising that saurians, being a cold blooded species, would require the heat and humidity of those regions. The mainland areas of Equatorial Africa and South America had been picked over like bones and no evidence had ever been found that might suggest the Voth had existed on the mainland continents. His search had finally led him to the picturesque islands of Micronesia, the evidence leading him to believe that the ancestors of the Voth had evolved on parts of the supercontinent of Pangaea, their civilization isolated when the supercontinent had fragmented during the Triassic Period some 225 million years ago. They had thrived, eventually evolving into Hadrosaurs during the Cretaceous Period, but from that point on evidence of their continued evolution was lost. He was gathering core samples from deep ocean chasms and rifts that indicated that this part of the Pacific Ocean had once existed above sea level in the shape of isolated atolls and islands. The analysis of each new core sample was taking him closer and closer to the hard evidence required to prove his and Professor Gegan’s theory. It was exciting work and filled his days. It was the nights that he was having problems with. They were empty and lonely and filled with regrets.

He was living on one of the small coral cays off Kiribati, in the middle of the Pacific. It was a paradise, with glorious aqua lagoons, endless white sandy beaches, coral reefs filled with a gaudy array of tropical fish, palm trees and a handful of happy healthy islanders living in small villages like this one, dotted over the island. He should have been happy, but he wasn’t.

It had been eight months since Voyager had burst through the Borg conduit into Federation space. The life he’d taken for granted for seven years had ended in that moment. His fears for his Maquis crew were unwarranted. All were welcomed home with open arms. Commissions were upheld, back pay granted and futures secured. They had been lauded and admired and given the keys to the city. Kathryn was in her element, the consummate diplomat and feted returning hero.

She gave candid and moving speeches, regaling one and all with their adventures, always ensuring that credit was given to her crew and staff for their bravery and steadfastness. She was humble and generous, and was portrayed by the media as a brave and courageous leader whose followers were equally brave and courageous. Stories about their confrontations with enemies like the Vidians, the Hirogen and Kazon had taken on epic proportions. They had spawned a whole new industry in holoadventures and virtual books. Starfleet brass couldn’t get enough of her. They paraded her out to every gala, dinner and social function they could find. She smiled and charmed her way through them all, totally at ease. He had been invited to some of the earlier celebrations, and watched as every unmarried hopeful, and some married ones, vied for her attention. She handled all the situations with aplomb and grace. He marvelled at her. She would catch him watching her sometimes and roll her eyes and smile. He would smile back, but each time it was like a dagger to his heart. She was gone from his life. She was back where she belonged and he was lost. The peace and contentment he had found with her on Voyager had evaporated, and he was adrift again.

He’d escorted Seven to the first few dinners, but she quickly tired of his company. With the smorgasbord of men on offer, begging for her attention, he quickly became superfluous. She’d shrugged him off with her usual forthrightness, informing him that it was illogical for her to limit her interactions with the opposite sex to just him when there were limitless numbers of willing partners for her to experiment with. He didn’t even rate as a bed warmer.

After Seven left, he’d sat in his soulless Starfleet quarters watching the latest news vids. Kathryn had appeared on screen, a guest at some noteworthy function of some sort. Looking beautiful, she was being escorted by a devastatingly handsome admiral. Their arms were linked and she was laughing up at him, obviously captivated by his witty repartee. She looked so happy and content, more so than he had ever seen her, except for that short time they had spent on that far away paradise of theirs, New Earth. His heart ached, and seeing her like that was the final straw. He’d left the next day and had been wandering ever since. At least being on this isolated pinpoint of land meant that he wasn’t being bombarded with pictures and information about his ex-captain.

He’d realised, unfortunately belatedly, that he was still deeply in love with her. He’d always been drawn to her. She had that affect on people, blessed as she was, with a magnetism that was impossible to resist. He was no different to everyone else. It was just that he’d become used to denying it over the years. Only when he was removed from her sphere of influence did he find that he’d lost his centre. He’d forgotten that it was Kathryn that brought him his peace. He was now like a ship without a rudder, drifting aimlessly through life. His search for the Voth ancestors had at least given him something to focus on other than the empty place inside him.

He didn’t blame her. She was who she was, and as far as she knew, he was with Seven. When he and Seven had left Voyager together, they’d approached Kathryn to say goodbye and for a split second he was sure he’d seen a glimmer of regret in her eyes, but it was gone in a flash. She’d smiled and congratulated them, and wished them happiness in their life together. He had strutted off the ship with the buxom blonde on his arm, the envy of all the men present. He could kick himself now for his arrogance and stupidity. He must have looked like an ass. Seven had been gone by the end of the week, and he’d been too ashamed to approach Kathryn. He didn’t want to be reminded with, ‘I told you so’s.’ Not that she was likely to do that. He imagined she would have been kind and caring, pointing out the obvious difference in age and experience.

Besides, he’d had B’Elanna to tell him what a fool he’d been. She wasn’t at all reticent about telling him exactly what she thought about his affair with their resident drone. She’d told him in no uncertain terms that he was a fool, looked like an idiot, and needed his head read. He agreed with her now, but at the time he’d been angry, and told her to back off and leave him alone. She had. He hadn’t heard from her since. He’d made a complete mess of his life. He’d managed to alienate all the people he cared about most in the world and he only had himself to blame.

There was a knock at his door. That would be Amana with his breakfast. He got up from his bed and fought his way through the mosquito net. “Come in, Amana.”

A young native man entered carrying a bowl of fruit and taro cakes. Amana placed the food on the table and set about tidying the room. “You are well today, Chakotay?”

Chakotay picked up a piece of pawpaw and broke off a chunk of the taro cake. Chewing, he nodded his head. “Yes, thank you, Amana. How are you and your family?”

“They are all well and looking forward to the festival tonight. I will send Miri with your lunch today. I will be helping the elders dig the pits and prepare the food.”

The festival was to celebrate the seasonal planting of crops and involved wrestling competitions, fire dancing and copious amounts of food and drink. The Micronesians, like the Polynesians, needed little excuse to have a party. From a purely anthropological point of view, their festivals were interesting, but in general terms, they were also a whole lot of fun. They were a joyful people and fiercely proud of their traditions.

Finished with breakfast, Chakotay picked up the readouts from the recent core samples and began cataloguing the findings. Head down, he worked steadily until just before lunchtime. He could hear the laughter and shouting from the centre of the village where the food pits were being dug. Every so often there would be a burst of giggling from the women as they prepared the meat and vegetables that would be placed in the pits in the afternoon. He sat back and heaved a sigh. His musings this morning had made him think that perhaps he should contact B’Elanna or maybe Harry, just to touch base and see how everyone was. His thoughts of Kathryn had whetted his appetite for news of her. He needed to know how she was, but dreaded hearing that she was with someone, or worse, married. He wasn’t sure what his reaction would be to that kind of news, but he knew it wouldn’t be good.

All of a sudden there was a change in the noise level outside. There was some sort of ruckus that brought him out of his musings. It must be visitors arriving from the larger islands. Some of the more important celebrations attracted dignitaries from other islands, and occasionally sightseers, keen to experience life ‘off the beaten track’. He got up from his desk and made his way to the door. Stepping out into the sunshine he saw Miri, Amana’s youngest sister, running towards him. “Chakotay, Chakotay, you have visitors. They arrived in a shuttle. They must be very important to have such a big ship.”

He was surprised. He didn’t think anyone knew where he was. He hadn’t spoken to anyone since he’d left. Perhaps it was someone from the University coming to check on his progress. He did send monthly reports with his findings. He hoped they weren’t going to withdraw his funding. He didn’t feel like having to fight the University’s bureaucracy over the paltry amount of money he requested. Irritated, he set off to meet the intruders.

The shuttle came into view. It was a Starfleet Type Nine shuttle. Whoever was here was important. There weren’t too many of these beauties around. He could see someone in a Starfleet uniform standing looking out at the ocean. He looked vaguely familiar, but the uniforms had changed and it was hard to recognise who it was from this distance.

The officer turned. It was Tom Paris. Chakotay’s face broke into a huge smile. He marvelled at the fact that he had been just thinking about his old shipmates then, lo’ and behold, here was one.

“Tom. This is a wonderful surprise. How are you? How are B’Elanna and Miral?”

Tom smiled at him. “Hi there, Chief. Be and Miral are great. Miral is growing like the proverbial weed and is as tyrannical as her mother. Things are good. How have you been? Found a bit of paradise I see. Hope you’ve been sparing a thought for all us mugs living in the real world. Doing the Robinson Crusoe thing, huh?”

Chakotay moved forward and caught Voyager’s helmsman in a hug, slapping each other on the back. It was wonderful to see a familiar face. “Tom, it’s so good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too, Chakotay. How about you? What have you been up to?” They stood looking out at the ocean.

“Working, would you believe. I’m tracing the origins of the Voth. Do you remember the species that had evolved from Hadrosaurs? It looks like I may have found where they lived before they left Earth.”

“Really? I remember them. The dinosaur guys in the city ship. Pretty mean if I remember.”

“Mmm. Yes, that was them.” Chakotay looked at Tom. “What are you doing here, Tom? This is a bit out of the way to be just dropping by.” Tom looked over Chakotay’s shoulder.

“He was giving me a lift.” Chakotay swung around on hearing the familiar voice. Kathryn stood before him, smiling warmly at him.

“I just have to check on some things in the shuttle. Call me when you’re ready, Admiral.” Smiling, Tom turned and walked into the shuttle.

Chakotay couldn’t believe it. Here she was in front of him. His thoughts had been filled with her all day and now here she was. She looked beautiful. Her hair was a little longer and falling in soft waves around her face. She’d put on a little weight and the pinched look around her eyes had gone. They shone as she looked at him. She cocked her head to the side slightly. “Hello, Chakotay.”

“Kathryn!” He broke into a beaming smile. “Kathryn. It’s so good to see you. I was thinking about you only this morning. You look… well…wonderful. The admiralty must agree with you.” He couldn’t stop staring at her. It was so good to see her. He had so much he wanted to tell her, so much he needed her to know, but he just couldn’t think straight. “It’s …umm.. I… I’ve missed you Kathryn.” He took a step forward. Then he hesitated, not sure why she was here or what she wanted.

“I’ve missed you too, Chakotay. So very much.” She too took a tentative step forward. The way he said her name was like a caress.

She smiled at him, her face radiating happiness. He was having trouble breathing. She was even more beautiful than he remembered. He wanted to touch her, but wasn’t sure of her reaction. With happy smiles on their faces, they stood staring at each other, soaking up the joy of being in each others presence again. His heart was hammering in his chest.

Kathryn was having trouble remaining still. She was trying to control her breathing and stop her trembling. Her heart had started pounding when she’d seen him walk down the beach. He was gorgeous, tanned and fit and his hair was dark and sleek. He looked like he belonged here in this paradise. Now he was standing here within arms reach. She had missed him so much her heart ached.

She’d tried to give him some space after learning of his relationship with Seven, not knowing that it was over until after he’d disappeared. Initially she thought he’d been heartbroken and she didn’t want to crowd him, expecting him to turn up after a few weeks. When those weeks had turned to months, she’d become worried and despondent. B’Elanna hadn’t spoken to him either. They’d had a falling out over his relationship with Seven. Nobody knew where he was. She’d tracked him down eventually through the University and now here he was standing in front of her grinning, dimples set on stun. All she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms, but wasn’t sure of his reaction. She loved him so much, but she was unsure of his feelings for her. Was he still heartbroken after his break up with Seven? Was he here because he didn’t want to see anyone from Voyager? She was uncharacteristically hesitant and unsure. Their estrangement had been hard on her. She’d come to rely on his steady presence so much over the last seven years, more than she’d realised. At times during the last few months, she would forget where she was and turn to her left to say something to him, and grief would slam into her when she realised he wasn’t there. She needed him desperately. She hadn’t known how much until he wasn’t there.

Tom was watching the proceedings from the cockpit of the shuttle. There was a lot riding on this, Kathryn’s happiness first and foremost. She’d hidden it well, but she’d missed the big guy more than she would ever let on. She’d been willing to accept his relationship with Seven if it made him happy, but when he’d disappeared after the break up, she’d been terribly worried. The stress she’d endured over the last few months dealing with the Romulans and Remans, and the fallout from the death of Commander Data, had taken its toll. The Doctor had finally put his foot down and ordered her to take some time away. It had been the perfect opportunity for her to find Chakotay, and with some gentle coaxing from the Doctor, Tom and B’Elanna, she’d relented.

Now they were just standing there gawping at each other. This was torture. If one of them didn’t move soon, Tom was going to replicate a cattle prod. He’d never seen two people more in love with one another, or more stubborn. They belonged together like… cheese and pizza. He smiled to himself. Geesh, would someone do something, please. Maybe he should reverse the polarization on the tractor beam and give Chakotay a shove from behind. He saw Chakotay begin to fidget. If it was going to happen, it would be any second now. The look on Kathryn’s face spoke volumes.

Chakotay was in a bind. He was so glad to see her. More than glad, ecstatic, but he was bumbling around not sure what to do. He hated this feeling of insecurity. He loved her, had loved her for years and they had skirted around their feelings for so long. It was time to make a stand. They were both standing there with goofy grins on their faces. He noticed her rapid breathing and could see her hands trembling. She was as nervous as he. He couldn’t stand the pressure anymore. It was time to throw caution to the wind and claim what was theirs.

“Kathryn? I…” He blew out a breath. “Oh, damn it.” He couldn’t hold back any longer. He stepped forward and hauled her into his arms, lifting her off the ground and holding her close. “Spirits, I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been miserable. I thought I’d never see you again.” He wrapped his arms around her and held on tight. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

She mumbled into his neck. “I’ve been miserable too. I thought I’d lost you. Please just hold me. I need you to hold me. God, I’ve missed you.”

In the Shuttle, Tom smacked the console, leapt in the air and pumped his fist. “Yeee…es.” He hailed his home. B’Elanna answered immediately. She must have been hovering over the comm. Tom laughed at his wife. “We have touch down, at last. Spread the word.”

B’Elanna slumped into the chair in front of the monitor. “Thank Kahless. What a relief. Well done, Tom.” She turned away from the monitor for a moment. “Hey, Harry, pass the word. Shields are down. We finally have contact.” Turning back to Tom, she smiled. “Are they ok?”

“They look just fine from here. More than fine actually.” He tilted his head on the side as he looked out the window. “Fine doesn’t quite describe it but, here take a look.” He tapped a few buttons and transmitted the view from the forward comm array.

B’Elanna moved closer to the screen. “Ohhh, Tom, that’s so sweet. I can’t believe it’s taken this long. Talk about two of the most stubborn, contrary, pigheaded… I don’t know. What we’ve had to go through.” She blew out a puff of breath. Under the gruff exterior, she was so pleased for her friends and a little emotional. Her anger at Chakotay had long abated and she’d missed him dreadfully.

Tom’s face appeared again on the screen. He was grinning happily. “Looks like I’ll be seeing you tonight.” He could hear the cheers and whoops and hollers in the background at his house. Half the crew must be there. There were going to be some very happy Voyagers after this.

B’Elanna smiled gently at him. “You’ll be home for dinner?” He nodded. “Good.” She looked over her shoulder again at the happy crowd. “I think there’s going to be a party. Hurry home.” She touched the screen.

“Bye, Be. Give Miral a kiss for me.” Tom blew her a kiss and closed the link.

Chakotay held Kathryn close. She was in his arms at last. Setting her gently on her feet again, he pulled back slightly. He kept one arm securely around her waist as he ran his fingers through her hair.

“It’s longer than when I last saw you. It suits you. I always liked it long.” He stroked her cheek. She closed her eyes and let her head fall towards his caresses. Opening her eyes, she watched him as one of her hands travelled up his chest to caress his neck and cheek. Her eyes continued to follow its path as she traced his tattoo with her fingertips. Her look was intense and loving. She cupped his cheek. He was acutely aware of her body flush against his. Her touches were arousing him and he was sure she could feel him hardening against her. “Kathryn? I …I’m … umm…”

“My thoughts exactly.” She pulled his head down and kissed him. It was tentative at first, but soon deepened, and his lips began to travel over her mouth and face then down her neck and to that spot behind her ear that made her groan and whimper. Their mouths met again, tongues plunging as they tried to devour each other. He was in heaven. All that he’d ever wanted was in his arms. He was overwhelmed with a sense of rightness. They belonged together. The adage of the two being greater than the sum of their parts rang so true where he and Kathryn were concerned. He was a better man when he was with her. They were the perfect team.

She was now kissing his neck and clinging to him. “Chakotay, do you have a room or a house or somewhere we can go for privacy? If we don’t find someplace soon, your villager friends are going to get to know me a whole lot better than they ever imagined. I need you now.”

“Oh spirits. This way.” He took her arm and together they jogged up the beach to his hut. His villager friends watched and laughed, the women putting their hands over their mouths and giggling. It was obvious what was about to happen. There would be cheerful and good natured harassment tonight, but for now they would be left alone.

He hurried her inside and closed the door. He grabbed her again and kissed her hard, lifting her off the ground. This time she wrapped her legs around him. “Chakotay, I love you. I’ve missed you and I want you so badly it hurts.”

He carried her towards the bed. “Kathryn, I love you too. I’ve been thinking about you constantly. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have left. I mmmph…”

Kathryn was kissing him again. He was prattling on when there was serious love making to be done. She started running her hands under his shirt as he wrestled with her uniform. They were different to the ones he was used to. He was going to need her help to get her naked. He groaned at the thought. “Kathryn, help! How do you get this damn thing off?”

She laughed at the look of frustration on his face. He grinned wolfishly. “Is there a hidden catch or secret password, because if I can’t find it soon I’m tearing it off you.”

Her eyes darkened and she ground herself down on to his erection. The thought of his desperate need caused her arousal to spiral almost out of control. She undid the hidden fasteners and was down to her underwear in seconds. He tore his shirt off as Kathryn tugged at his pants. He was naked underneath. “Commando style, Chakotay? Did you go around like this on Voyager? Hold on. Maybe I don’t need to know that.”

He grinned at her and reached behind her to undo her bra. He hooked his finger in the front and dragged it down her arms, revealing her breasts. Tossing the flimsy garment aside, he leant forward and kissed both nipples and watched them harden into tight knots. Kathryn was watching through half lidded eyes. She’d dreamt of this moment for years and felt tears pricking behind her eyes. He looked at her dear face and felt waves of love and peace wash over him.

Chakotay laid her on his bed and what had started as a frantic race for completion now slowed to a gentle and loving seduction. He leant forward and took her mouth in a loving kiss. He slowly rolled her under him, lying full length along her body. She welcomed the weight and the feeling of security, and he revelled in the feel of her softness and warmth as he covered her. He slid to the side slightly as she lifted her hips and slipped out of her panties. Lying side by side they gazed down the length of each others bodies. His fingers travelled lightly down her body, following the path of his eyes. She was beautiful, breasts full and nipples puckered, the slight roundness of her belly, her long legs and the dark curls of her mons. Glorious.

She did the same, running her hands down his bronzed torso, lightly scratching his nipples, dragging her hand down his abdomen and over the muscled roundness of his rump. Her hand swept down over his thigh and then back up to his engorged penis, lying thick and heavy against her thigh. She ran her hand up the length of his penis, gently grasping the weeping head and spreading the moisture around the end. She lifted her hand to her mouth and licked her fingers, tasting him. He groaned and fell on her mouth taking her breath away with a punishing kiss. He pressed his whole hand into her groin and she trapped it there between her clenched thighs, grinding herself on to it.

He gradually worked it free enough to insert a finger into her depths. Her moist heat surrounded his finger as he pumped it in and out of her. She was rocking on to his hand. “More, Chakotay” she begged. He inserted a second finger and then a third as she became lost in the haze of sexual arousal. His thumb began to tease her nub. He kissed her again, his need becoming desperate. He pulled his hand from her depths, and as he brought his fingers to his mouth, she leant forward, holding his fingers between their lips, sharing her taste as she kissed him. He pulled his hand away and they fell onto each others mouths, devouring one another. Kathryn spread her legs wide in invitation and Chakotay rubbed his rigid length along her moist folds. She lay beneath him with her eyes fixed on his face. Their gazes locked as he slowly sank into her liquid heat. Tears began to slide from her eyes. This moment was so exquisitely beautiful and so long dreamt of. His tears fell on her face and mingled with hers. He slowly pulled back, almost fully withdrawing, and then sliding home again. He repeated this slow dance until the need to mate took over. Kathryn raised her hips to meet each thrust as they pounded together. She was whimpering and grunting with each thrust, lost in the upward spiral. He leant on his left arm and held her hips flush against him with his right hand as he relentlessly thrust into her. Suddenly her body went taut and she exploded, her inner muscles gripping him and carrying him along with her, the feel of his hot release prolonging her orgasm as they gasped and groaned into each others necks. Her vagina twitched and throbbed for several moments afterwards, until panting in each others arms, they lay sated and blissfully content.

Kathryn was running her hands over Chakotay’s chest, so happy to be with him again. She reached up and caressed his face.

“Have I told you how much I’ve missed you?” Kathryn was still feeling a little emotional after their lovemaking.

“No more than I missed you.” He nuzzled her hair, breathing in her scent. “Oh, Kathryn, I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me? I didn’t come to see you after Seven left because I was so ashamed of myself. Looking back I can’t believe I let things go on for so long.”

“Chakotay, you’ve nothing to be sorry for. If I’d been brave enough to tell you of my feelings years ago, we wouldn’t have had to go through all this. I apologise and love you dearly. I intended to come to you several times after Seven had gone, but I was a coward. I wasn’t sure how you felt about me, but in the end I couldn’t live without you, so, here I am.”

He rolled on his side, propped on his elbow and looked down at the woman that had owned his heart since the moment he met her. “Kathryn, when do you have to go back? Can you stay for a few days at least? I don’t know what your schedule is, and I can’t really leave at the moment, but in a few weeks…”

Kathryn put her fingers over his mouth to silence him. She’d never noticed what a prattler he was. “Chakotay, I’m on a six month sabbatical. I thought I’d spent the time here with you if that’s alright. I could be your assistant, help with the analyses and the cataloguing. I had a quick look at your programme outline while I was hunting you down. Six months in paradise sounds like just what the Doctor ordered. Think you could use the help of a disgruntled admiral with a penchant for going native?”

“I can think of nothing I’d like more.” He pulled her to him and held her close, so relieved and joyful that she was here with him, but he’d heard what she’d said. “Kathryn, did the Doctor order you to take time off?”

She never could get anything past him. He knew her too well. “Yes, he did. I’ve been working constantly since our return. To be honest, being busy was better than dwelling on all of my regrets. I tried to fool myself into thinking that I was content, but deep down I missed Voyager, the crew, and you most of all. I’d lost my centre. The Doctor, my mother, Tom and B’Elanna, have been very worried about me. The admiralty has been a little wary as well, and keeping a fairly close eye on my work.” A tear meandered down her cheek and she wiped it away impatiently. “I couldn’t get away before now. I was given the Romulan desk and I’ve been involved in months of diplomatic turmoil with the Romulans and Remans. Have you heard about the Shinzon Affair?” Chakotay shook his head. “It was a nightmare. It involved a human named Shinzon, who turned out to be a young clone of Jean Luc Picard. He’d been raised by the Remans after the Romulan’s plan to use him as a decoy was abandoned. He attempted to take over Romulus by killing the entire Senate and proclaiming himself Praetor. The Enterprise was brought in at his request for diplomatic talks. It was a ploy by Shinzon to get to Picard.” She was stroking his shoulders and chest as she spoke.

“The cloning process that was used to create him was flawed and he needed a transfusion from Picard to survive. He had a huge chip on his shoulder, and his ultimate plan was to destroy Earth with a thalaron weapon.” Chakotay raised his eyebrows at this. Thalaron weapons had been banned by the Federation for years. The smallest amount of thalaron radiation was devastating to all life. The stress of the situation must have been tremendous. She certainly had been thrown in at the deep end.

“Picard and his crew were successful in averting disaster, but the price was high. Jean Luc lost his new first officer and friend during the final battle with Shinzon. Commander Data was the android who had been with him for the last 15 years or so, and he sacrificed himself to save them all. What really shook me was a conversation I had with Jean Luc after he got home.”

She sat up a little more as she continued her story. “He was devastated. Will Riker had just been given a captaincy and had married his long time love, Deanna Troi. Data was gone, and he was talking about how he felt he’d taken for granted the friendship and love of all those people he was closest to. They were one of the longest standing command teams in Starfleet history, you know, and he was feeling their losses very deeply. The dissolution of his crew was something I could identify with. He’d lost Data and there was no way to get him back. I’d lost you, but you were still alive and I made my decision in that moment that I would find you. I needed to see my friend, and then I thought, if you still felt the same as I felt for you, well, we might try and….” She shrugged her shoulders and smiled that lopsided smile. “We’re part of the same whole, and I had to find you.”

He pulled her into a healing embrace. She was a strong woman and hated this feeling of need, but she’d come to realise over the last few months that she did need. She needed this man more than anything, and was so relieved that he still loved her. She felt whole and strong again for the first time since arriving home. He was her home.

There was a tentative knock at the door. Amana’s voice filtered through. “Chakotay, the festival is about to start. Would you and your lady like to join us?”

Chakotay slid out of bed and pulled on his pants. He opened the door a crack to speak to Amana. “We’ll be there soon, Amana. Just give us a few minutes.”

“We will see you at the manaeba, my friend.”

Kathryn reluctantly climbed from the bed, wrapping the sheet around her. “Chakotay, is there a bathroom or washroom somewhere that I can use?”

He took her hand and led her to a doorway at the back of the shelter. “Do you need a hand?”

“I’d love one, but if you want to get to this festival anytime soon, I probably should go alone.” She grinned at him, touching his face lovingly.

After she shut the door, he stood there for a moment, staring happily at the closed door. Mentally shaking himself, he gathered up their clothes and tidied up the bed.

“Paris to Admiral Janeway.” The comm badge on Kathryn’s jacket came alive.

“Chakotay here, Tom. Kathryn’s busy at the moment. Can I do something for you?”

“I just wanted to know what Kathryn wanted to do with her luggage. Does she want it there or is she coming home with me?”

“Beam it over, Tom. Kathryn’s staying for a while.”

“I’m pleased to hear that, Chief. Take care of her, won’t you? She needs you.”

“Don’t worry, Tom… I know, and I need her too.”

“Tell her goodbye for me. I’m heading home for dinner.”

“Give my love to B’Elanna and Miral. We’ll catch up soon.”

“You bet Chakotay. Paris out.”

There was the familiar whine of the transporter and two small cargo containers were deposited in the middle of the room, along with an easel and a couple of smaller bags. It looked like she was here for a long stay. He was relieved and pleased that she had wanted to stay and had come prepared. It spoke openly of her feelings and it took a lot of guts to take the risk, but as he had learned over the years, she was one gutsy lady.

She emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel. “Oh good, Tom sent my things over. I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t sure if I’d be welcome. I didn’t want to presume, but I thought that…”

Chakotay took her in his arms and kissed her. Pulling back slightly, but keeping his arms tightly around her, he looked directly into her eyes. “Kathryn, please don’t ever apologise for wanting to be with me. I’m just so relieved and happy you’re here. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.” He kissed her again and groaned. Stepping back from her, he grabbed a towel and headed for the bathroom. “Make yourself at home. We’ll find somewhere to put all your gear when we get back. I’d better hurry or they’ll come looking for us again. I love you.” He gave her another quick kiss and then was gone.

Kathryn rifled through her bags and found a light summer dress and some sandals. Another rifle and she found her underwear. By the time Chakotay emerged from the bathroom, she was dressed and ready to go. He hurriedly threw on his shirt and shorts and they left hand in hand for the festival.

Several hours later, after a night of revelry, they returned to the hut. Kathryn had been welcomed with open arms and had joined in the dancing and singing. She had also eaten more than she ever had in one sitting. They wouldn’t take no for an answer, and kept plying her with food. One of the elders had commented that Chakotay needed to fatten her up if she was going to be in any condition to give him healthy sons and daughters. Chakotay had laughed out loud and Kathryn had blushed a deep crimson, but secretly the thought had thrilled her.

The night was still warm and humid, and she was relieved to rid herself of her clothes. Chakotay was also more than pleased, and they fell into bed in each others arms and made love until late into the night.

Kathryn woke early the next morning, safe in the arms of Chakotay. The sunlight was shining through the open windows and she could hear the steady wash of surf in the background. She rolled on her side and spent an enjoyable hour or so just watching the man beside her sleep. He was a handsome man, a very handsome man, his features strong and well defined. His broad brow was graced with the indigo lines of his tattoo, and those beautiful expressive eyes, closed at the moment, but when open, they were the window to his soul. His noble nose and those lips. Hmmm, they were a feast. So kissable and so ready to smile, and what they could do to her made her squirm.

“Good morning, my love. What are you smiling about?” Chakotay was watching her as she was watching him.

“You, us, being here, loving you, you name it. At the moment all I feel like doing is smiling.” He held her close, so full of love for this complicated woman.

There was a knock at the door. “Coming, Amana. That will be our breakfast. Shall we have it down by one of the lagoons? It’s beautiful this time of the day.” He got up, pulling on his shorts, and opened the door.

“Good morning, Chakotay, Kathryn.” Amana entered the hut placing a tray with the usual fruit and taro cakes on the table.

Kathryn sat up in bed, holding the sheet around her. “Good morning, Amana.”

He smiled shyly at her. “I will come back later to tidy up. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you, Amana. I’m sure we will.” Amana scurried out the door.

Chakotay handed Kathryn’s dress to her as he shrugged into his shirt. He gathered up the food and a flask of water. “Come on, Kathryn, let’s go.” He also grabbed a sarong for them to sit on. He took her hand and they left the hut.

Chakotay led her down the beach to an isolated cove. It was picture perfect. The water was crystal clear and the most vibrant blue. The sky was clear and rivalled the sea for colour. The beach of fine white sand was deserted as far as the eye could see. She could easily imagine that they were the only two people on Earth. Chakotay laid the sarong in the shade of some palm trees and arranged their food. Kathryn tasted the taro cakes, and was pleasantly surprised at their nutty flavour. The fruits were sweet and juicy and she washed her breakfast down with sweet clear water that Chakotay told her was from a spring further inland, and somewhere he promised her they would visit.

After their food was finished, Chakotay suggested they go for a swim. Slipping out of their clothes, they strolled down to the water naked. They swam for a time, holding one another in the water, their bodies sliding together, and arousing one another until they could stand it no longer. Still holding one another, they walked out of the surf. Their hands caressed and wandered all over each other. They lay on the sarong, taking inventory of each others bodies, stroking and caressing until passion took over. This time Kathryn took Chakotay in her mouth, taking him to the brink before straddling him and taking him deep within her. She rocked herself on him, gripping his shoulders and crying out her release. Chakotay rolled her under him and thrust into her until he too groaned in ecstasy. They lay together afterwards, caressing and stroking one another until the heat and the sound of the waves lulled them into a sated sleep. Kathryn woke slowly. The sarong was draped over her and Chakotay was gone from her side. She sat up looking around her and was met with a vision. He was standing a little way down the beach looking out at the ocean. He was still naked. His body was a burnished bronze from head to toe. He was a magnificent specimen, broad shouldered and slim hipped and he was hers. Her body throbbed just looking at him. She was so glad she’d relented and come in search of him. She’d thought she was coping, but being here with him made her realise just how much she needed him, and how much they needed each other. She stood up and came up behind him, running her hands up his back and over his shoulders. He turned to her and smiled, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulled her towards him. He kissed the top of her head and they stood in silence looking out over the ocean at peace with life at last.

They meandered back to the village at lunch time. Kathryn showered and changed and while she was waiting for Chakotay to finish in the bathroom, she started going over his notes and the core sample reports. His findings were exciting. There was clear evidence of some sort of advanced civilization, but the secret was still locked deep within the rocks at the floor of the ocean. Fragments of metal compounds and alloys that didn’t occur naturally had been found in layers of rock dating back some 25 million years. Chakotay had meticulous catalogues of the core samples and enough evidence to pique the curiosity of many scientists. He just had to convince the upper echelons of the Federation Science Academy and she imagined that funding and equipment would pour in. She would speak to him about it. Perhaps she could help. That extra pip had to be worth something more than the increased work load and exacerbating headaches.

“What have you got there, Kathryn?” Chakotay walked up behind her.

She looked up and smiled. “You look refreshed.” She placed her hand on his stomach and slid it around to his back. “I was just looking at your research. I hope you don’t mind. This is fascinating stuff, Chakotay. Do you really think there’s some more tangible evidence of their civilization? These metal fragments are powerful clues.” Her scientist’s mind was off and racing. “Do you have maps of the ocean floor and the chasms you’ve been testing?” She was intrigued by this. If they could get a clear topographical layout of the ocean floor, it may give them more of a clue as to where to look. They also needed some precise scanning equipment. It would have to be fairly powerful to scan so deep and through this much rock. There must be some way of getting the funds and equipment they needed.

“I have some sonagraphs somewhere, but they’re not very clear. What I’d really like to have is a deep sea vessel so we could actually go down and look. It would cut down on the time spent, but whether or not the Academy or the University would be prepared to foot the bill is another question.” He handed Kathryn some papers. “Here they are. See what you think.”

She looked them over while Chakotay organised some food for their lunch. He sat down beside her and handed her a sandwich. As she chewed, she pointed with the hand holding the sandwich. “What is that area there? Can you see that regularity in the fissure wall, just to the right of that rock formation? Does that look like a wall or maybe a road that has been tipped on its side?” Chakotay took the sonagraph from her and looked at it more closely.

“I think you may be right. The pattern is too regular to be natural. I’ll be damned, Kathryn. I’ve looked at this maybe a hundred times and never noticed that.” He was staring at the piece of paper and turning it this way and that.

“Sometimes all it needs is a new pair of eyes. Wood for the trees, that sort of thing.” She chewed thoughtfully on her sandwich. “Chakotay, how would you feel about my contacting the Academy about this and pushing for more funding and equipment? I don’t want to appear to be muscling in on your discovery, but I might be able to move things along a little faster for you. Those pips of mine carry some weight you know.”

He smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Muscle away, Kathryn. I’ve been hiding here for too long anyway. If we had more equipment and manpower we could really move this along and maybe find what I’ve been looking for. Sweetheart, I would love your help.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next few weeks their lives fell into a comfortable routine. Kathryn contacted the Academy as promised, sending Chakotay’s findings and samples of the metallic fragments that he’d found. They were rapturous with their praise, and equipment started arriving almost immediately. Two palaeontologists, Wilson Turner and Don Mercic and an archaeologist friend, Margaret Reilly, also arrived to assist with the search.

There was enormous excitement the day the deep sea submersible arrived. It was transported down from the Science vessel ‘Michelson’ along with a young lieutenant, Harry Kim, who was to pilot the vessel. It was a joyous reunion.

Kathryn took to her island life with relish and abandon. Her headaches had gone and she was a ready convert to the languid lifestyle of the islanders. Their lives were idyllic. Days consisted of a leisurely breakfast, working until noon, a swim or a walk after lunch and then an afternoon nap. The late afternoons and evenings were spent cataloguing samples and analysing data brought up from the ocean floor by the submersible. The late evenings were spent with their friends, eating and talking and enjoying the tropical nights. Kathryn couldn’t ever remember being so happy and so at peace.

They were slowly making headway with their search. More and more clues were being found that pointed to the existence of a once advanced and thriving civilization. Two days ago a minute sample of beta alloy of titanium was found in one of the core samples. These types of alloys were used in building aircraft and space ships from the 20th century onwards, but this fragment was found in a core sample from around 23.5 million years ago. It was an exciting find.

One evening, several days later, Chakotay found Kathryn sitting down by the beach. It was about 4 months into her stay. She held a padd in her hand and was staring out at the sea. She looked, not worried exactly, but pensive. “Kathryn? Are you alright sweetheart?”

She turned to him and her face broke into a broad smile. “Yes, honey, I’m fine.” She patted the sand beside her. “Come sit with me. I’ve something I want to tell you.” She was tapping the padd on her knee. “I’ve taken a permanent leave of absence from Starfleet. I sent my notification to Owen Paris this afternoon.”

“Kathryn, I don’t quite know what to say. Are you absolutely sure you want to do that? You’ve been with Starfleet most of your life. Are you really ready to give it up?” He wanted her to be sure of this.

“I’m surer of this than anything, well, except you, of course.” She swivelled around to face him. “I don’t want the responsibility anymore, Chakotay. I’ve had enough to last me a life time. I’m so tired of carrying the load and these last few months here with you have been so wonderful. I feel like I’ve found myself again and I don’t want to lose this.” She reached up and caressed his face. “There are years of work to be done here, and I don’t want to ever have to leave you. So, if you’re happy to employ me on a permanent basis, I’d like to stay here, with you.” She climbed onto his lap and tucked her head onto his shoulder. “What do you say, boss man? Have I got the job or do I have to prove that I’m a worthy employee.” She began to nibble his neck and run her fingers through his hair.

“Kathryn, the job you’re after entails a lifetime commitment. Are you ready for that?”

“More than ready, and I’ll even give you a lifetime guarantee on that, if you’ll sign on the dotted line.”

“You’ve got a deal.” He held his hand out.

She placed hers in his. “Deal.” And they shook on it. She laughed, clambered around and straddled him. “How about we give Tom and B’Elanna a call and sort out a date. We’ll invite all the crew. Tuvok can do the honours and we can have the ceremony on that little beach you took me to on my first day here. What do you think?”

“Hey, I thought I was the boss.” He leant forward and kissed her on the nose. “But I’ll gladly delegate. It sounds wonderful, my love, but now it’s time for bed. I have to make sure all my workers get a good night’s sleep so they’re ready for the busy day ahead. Let’s go.”

He stood and pulled her up from the sand, and with their arms wrapped around each other, they made their way back to their hut.

Their love making that night was wild and abandoned. Kathryn, having thrown off the shackles of Starfleet, felt a freedom and lightness that she hadn’t felt before. She let the waves of bliss carry her, and as Chakotay’s hot release entered her, she knew in that moment that a life had been created. Tears of joy poured down her face.

The next morning found the Voth dig team preparing for a deep sea survey of some of the more remote fissures and a closer examination of the area that Kathryn had found on the sonagraphs. With the improved scanning equipment, they had come to the conclusion that the formation was definitely not a naturally occurring one.

Harry was at the helm. Wilson Turner, one of the palaeontologists was in charge of the holoimager and the external lights, and Chakotay and Kathryn were monitoring sensors and scanners. They submerged to a depth of around 3.000 metres and sensors indicated that the chasm dropped at least another 1000 metres, but was too narrow to manoeuvre the vessel. They would have to be content with sensor readings of the lower regions of the chasm. They were slowly closing in on the fissure with the unusual regularities. Kathryn was doing sensor sweeps of the area and Chakotay was checking readings and co-ordinates.

“Harry, it should be about 100 metres off starboard. Wilson, can you swing the starboard lights around? That’s great, thanks.”

Kathryn was glued to the sensor readouts, but Chakotay was drawn to the view ports. As they approached, he could swear he saw something glinting in the distance.

“Move in a little closer will you, Harry? Wilson, can you point the cameras to that area at about 2 o’clock? No, a little higher. That’s it. Now can you enlarge that area?” Chakotay was looking back at the viewscreen. There! There was something glinting. “Kathryn, can you scan that area that Wilson has enlarged?” He moved over to the sensors. “That area there, grid 34. Analysis” he ordered.

“Give us a minute, Boss.” Kathryn grinned at him. “It’s a large area of Titanium based beta alloy, which should of course be impossible. I think we’ve found it.”

Chakotay smacked the wall. “Yes!” Harry was grinning at him, and Wilson had moved over towards the sensor console, and patted Kathryn on the shoulder. She turned and smiled at him.

Suddenly the console started beeping. “What the hell?” Kathryn started tapping the console furiously. “Chakotay, there’s some sort of power signature coming from behind that wall. Damn! Harry, back us out of here. Now!” They watched in horror as rocks and debris started falling from the wall. Harry frantically urged the sub back out of the chasm, but it was too late. A lance of red light shot out from the very spot they’d been scanning. It hit the sub on the starboard nose cone, sending it into a chaotic spiral, deeper into the chasm. Harry fought the controls. Mercifully he was strapped into his seat, but the others were not so lucky. Wilson Turner was thrown hard against the rear of the cabin, hitting it with a sickening crunch. He lay unmoving on the deck. Chakotay’s head slammed into the console and Kathryn was flung back, colliding with Wilson, his body cushioning her fall. Harry was bravely wrestling with the sub and making some headway, but now they were being pummelled by falling rocks and debris. A large boulder hit the roof and water started hissing through a rupture in the hull.

Chakotay, holding his hand to his head, staggered over to the breach. It was only small, but would soon enlarge with the increasing pressure.

“Kathryn? Kathryn, are you alright?” He headed towards her.

She was dragging herself up off the broken body of Wilson. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m fine. What about you? Hell! Where’s the repair kit? We have to seal that rupture.” Chakotay grabbed the kit from under the ops console. He sprayed the sealant on and then attached the adhesive plating over the top. The frightening hiss stopped. They were in one piece for now. Kathryn was checking on Wilson, her fingers on his neck. He was still alive, thank God, but he was in a bad way.

“How are you going, Harry?” Still holding his head, Chakotay moved up to the cockpit. “Well done, Harry. If that had hit us mid section, well… we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He patted him on the back. “What’s the status of the engines?” He was wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve.

“The news isn’t good, I’m afraid. Communications are down. Some of that debris must have knocked out the transmitters and there’s no way of repairing them. We have enough power to keep us from sinking any further into the chasm, but not enough to get us to the surface. We’ll just have to wait it out until someone realises that they can’t contact us, or miss us when we don’t turn up for dinner.”

Kathryn looked worriedly at Harry and Chakotay. “We have to get up to the surface sooner than that. Wilson’s not good. He’s bleeding internally and his head injury is a real worry.” Chakotay moved to Kathryn’s side.

Kathryn was scanning Wilson with a medical tricorder. “Chakotay, help me lie him down… That’s it… Gently.” Kathryn took off her jacket and rolled it up and put it under his head. She got the thermal blanket from the med kit and laid it over him. Chakotay handed her his jacket as well, and she draped that over his chest. She loaded the hypospray and injected a cocktail of drugs into his neck, hoping to slow the bleeding and reduce the cerebral oedema. They really needed to get to the surface.

Chakotay moved to a nearby console. He was feeling a little dizzy, and blood was dripping down the side of his face again. Kathryn ran the tricorder over him. “You should lie down as well, Chakotay. You’ve got a mild concussion, and here, I’ll fix that cut.” She ran the dermal regenerator over the cut on his head. When she finished, she put the instrument aside and grabbing a hypospray, she held it against his neck. “That should help with the swelling and the headache.”

As she turned away, Chakotay grabbed her hand. “We’ll get out of this, Kathryn.” She smiled at him.

“I know we will. We always do.”

After she was sure both Wilson and Chakotay were stable, she moved into the cockpit.

Kathryn sat next to Harry and together they did a quick systems check. Things had not improved in the last half an hour. No communications and limited propulsion. Fortunately the hull seemed to be holding, and breathable air wasn’t a problem with the onboard O2 generator. If only they could get word to those topside that they were in trouble.

Chakotay was prowling about the confined space of the sub trying to think of some way out of this mess. He passed the storage compartment and opened it. Staring at him was an empty deep sea diving suit. He momentarily contemplated putting it on and heading for the surface, but discounted that idea almost immediately. At this depth his body would be crushed by the pressure, and even if he could, the ascent would be so slow, to avoid the bends, that Wilson would be dead long before he made it to the surface. He slammed the door shut in frustration, walked a few steps away, stopped, moved back and then opened it again, looking at the suit. He couldn’t go to the surface, but the suit could. They could inflate the suit, put a message inside and then send it to the surface.

“Kathryn, do we have any portable oxygen cylinders in here?” He looked around at her with a smug smile on his face.

“Yes. There are 2 here and 2 under the navigation console. What are you thinking of doing?” She looked at him worriedly. “Don’t you even think about going out there, Chakotay? You’d be dead in minutes.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not in a martyr mood today. I was thinking that if we could inflate rubber man here, put a message inside and send him to the surface, someone is bound to find him and know we’re in trouble.”

Kathryn came over and kissed him hard on the mouth. “Brilliant, Chakotay. Harry, is there any problem opening the floor hatch at this depth?”

“No, Kathryn, it shouldn’t be a problem. You might have to weight him though, to get him outside the sub. We could rig something with the diving weights that we can pull off when he’s safely outside.” Harry set the controls to autopilot and headed aft to help rig the suit.

Kathryn was standing scratching her head. “We can activate the emergency beacon on the suit, but we can’t send a padd. If it gets wet, the information could be lost. Chakotay, hand me the laser scalpel from the med kit, will you please, and the helmet?” He tossed her the helmet and Harry passed the scalpel to her. “Thanks.” She sat at ops and placed the helmet face forward on the console. “If I etch a short message and our co-ordinates on the back of the helmet that should do it. What to you think?”

“That should be fine. Harry, here, help me get these boots on.” Chakotay and Harry wrestled with the suit, finally getting the boots on and one of the gloves. Once the helmet was on, they would fill the suit with oxygen through the arm, tie it off and then put on the final glove. The suit would be airtight and once they had the diving weights rigged, they could get him out the hatch and send him on his way.

Having finished etching the helmet, Kathryn sat by Wilson’s side and checked his condition. He was still unconscious. His cerebral swelling seemed to have eased a little, but his internal injuries were severe and his head was still bleeding slowly. She tucked the blanket more firmly around him, shook her head and then made her way back to the ops console.

Chakotay and Harry now had the hatch open and were lowering the air filled suit into the water. It dropped down nicely, weighted as it was. The ocean currents carried it clear of the sub. Both Harry and Chakotay tugged on the ropes holding the weights. They fell away and their hollow rescuer rose elegantly towards the surface some 3 kilometres up. Harry had calculated it would take somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes for the suit to get to the surface. Depending how long it took for someone to find it, the earliest they could expect rescue, would probably be about two to three hours.

Rather than just sitting and waiting, Kathryn downloaded the sensor readings of the ‘weapon’ onto a padd. Sitting down close to Wilson so she could keep an eye on him, she began analysing the data. Harry was monitoring the progress of the suit and Chakotay was trying to cobble together some sort of communications system, but without a means of transmitting, there wasn’t much point. Frustrated, he moved next to Kathryn, having a quick look over Harry’s shoulder on his way. “It’s about a third of the way up, Chakotay. It should gather more speed the closer to the surface it gets. I’ll let you know when it’s there.”

Chakotay gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Thanks, Harry. Keep us posted.”

He looked at the padd Kathryn was holding. “Anything on that weapon?”

She showed him the readouts. “It looks like a laser type weapon left over from some sort of automated defence system. Our scans probably triggered it. If it is Voth, can you imagine how resilient the technology must be to have survived for all these millions of years? Even if it comes from the latter part of their civilization, that still means that whatever is there is close to 15 to 20 million years old. Amazing. I can’t wait to get a closer look.”

“That was close enough for me for the time being. If we’re going to get a better look at it, we’re going to need something with shields and better manoeuvrability.” He pondered a while. “Do we still have the specs on the modifications Tom made to the flyer on Monea? If we could get hold of a tactical shuttle, use Tom’s immersion shielding and modify the thrusters, we could get a much better look at what that was. It’s intriguing.”

Wilson started groaning and Kathryn ran the scanner over him again. “Wilson, Wilson. Can you hear me? Don’t move, Wilson. You’ve been hurt. Just lie still. Chakotay, pass me the hypo. He looks like he’s in pain.” Chakotay handed her the hypospray and she place it against Wilson’s neck. He settled almost immediately.

Chakotay turned to Harry. “What’s the status of the suit, Harry?”

“It should reach the surface in a few minutes. The beacon is transmitting and they should be picking it up by now.”

Chakotay watched Kathryn as she smoothed the hair back from Wilson’s forehead. “He’ll be ok, Kathryn. We’ll get him to the surface soon. He’ll be fine.”

Harry spoke over his shoulder. “That’s it, Chakotay. The suit just broke the surface. Let’s hope someone is on the ball and picks up the signal.” Harry sat back in his seat. There was very little he could do, other than keep an eye on the readouts that maintained their status.

Chakotay moved back over to the communications console. He knew a transmitter was pointless, but a receiver might be worth a try. If the transmitter from the source was strong enough, a jury rigged receiver might be able to pick up a transmission. The work kept his mind off his headache and their predicament. He glanced up occasionally at Kathryn. She was keeping a close eye on Wilson and analysing the readouts from the weapon. He attached a power cell to the makeshift receiver and sat back. They would just have to wait.

“Chakotay, come and have a look at this.” She showed him the readouts on the padd. “There’s something quite large behind that rock wall. Whatever it is, it’s encased in igneous rock. There must have been a massive volcanic eruption at the time. Perhaps that’s why the Voth left earth. The mantle was very unstable about 20 million years ago.” She looked at him, her eyes almost feverish. “We have to find out what it is.”

He smiled at her enthusiasm. Nothing excited her as much as a puzzle such as this. Well, almost nothing. He thought back to their lovemaking from the night before. Her decision to put on hold her Starfleet career had freed her in so many ways, and her lovemaking had been wild and abandoned. She’d been a sight to behold. He saw her now in his mind’s eye as she straddled him, her head thrown back, her body arched, cries of joy escaping unashamedly from her lips as she was totally lost in the rapture of their joining.

“What are you thinking about, Chakotay? As if I have to ask with a smile like that on your face.” She nodded her head towards Harry. “You might want to turn the volume down on that grin, Commander. You’ll frighten the children.”

He snorted a laugh and kissed her on the cheek. He quirked his eyebrow at her. “I just hope we get home soon.”

She touched the side of his cheek. “Me too, oh God, me too.”

A crackling from Chakotay’s receiver interrupted them. He raced over to the console. The crackling had a strange rhythm to it. Harry turned around with a frown. “That sounds like Morse code. Tom and I used it in our Captain Proton adventures.” He blushed slightly at the thought of their adolescent pursuit.

“What does it say, Harry?” Kathryn had moved over to the console.

“L..Y..E..R…T..R..A..C..T..O..R…B..R..A..C..E…10… F..L..Y..E..R.. It just keeps repeating.”

“OK, let’s do as it says. It sounds like we have 10 minutes. Harry, back to the cockpit and strap in. Kathryn, help me tie Wilson down.” They placed cushions from the spare seats around him and strapped him down as best they could. Kathryn and Chakotay sat in the other seats and placed the harnesses over their shoulders. Any minute now…

There was a sudden jolt, and a lot of creaking and groaning from the small craft, but slowly the sub rose out of the chasm. Kathryn and Chakotay looked at one another, relief written all over their faces. Kathryn turned back and quickly checked on Wilson. He seemed settled. It took only about 10 minutes to reach the surface. As the sub bobbed on top of the waves, they felt the familiar tingle of the transporters. They materialised in the Voyager sickbay, with a very serious looking EMH hovering. “Admiral, Commander, Lieutenant, I see your penchant for crashing things hasn’t abated.”

Kathryn gave Chakotay a querulous look and then turned to the Doctor and spoke in a voice that could cut through tritanium. “Thank you, Doctor. Can you please see to Mr Turner? He has severe head trauma and internal injuries. We’ll be on the Bridge. Please keep me informed.”

She marched out of sickbay. Chakotay followed. “Kathryn, wait up. Don’t let him get to you.”

“He can be such a pompous ass sometimes. God, I’d love to reprogram him. How do you think he’d look in a clown suit or we could just put his head on backwards?”

“Kathryn, be nice. You know what he’s like. We’ll be laughing about it in no time. The important thing is that Wilson is in good hands.” They stepped into the turbo lift. “Bridge.”

Kathryn took Chakotay’s hand. “You’re right, but sometimes…” She let out a long breath, then looked around the lift. “It’s strange being back.” She had a slightly sad look in her eyes. Looking back at him, she shrugged her shoulders. “I wonder who’s driving.”

They stepped out of the lift onto the Bridge and Tuvok stood up from the Captain’s chair. “Admiral on the Bridge.” Ayala piped up from the Tactical station. Tom was at the conn and B’Elanna was at the engineering station and a quick scan around the room showed many familiar faces. “As you were.” Kathryn smiled. “Well, hello everyone. It’s so good to see you, Tuvok. Thank you for coming to our rescue. It’s much appreciated. How on earth did you manage to get the crew together so quickly?”

“It is most pleasing to see you too, Admiral. Perhaps Mr Paris might best explain.” He nodded towards Tom.

“Well, it was like this. When I spoke to you last, you…” he gestured at both Kathryn and Chakotay “were planning on a wedding. Well, we thought that, since the day after tomorrow is the anniversary of our return to the Alpha Quadrant, what better way to celebrate than for you to get married and for all of the crew to be there. I organised with Dad to take Voyager, we gathered the crew together, so most were on board when the call came through from Kiribati. So, here we are. Good timing, huh?”

“Impeccable, Tom, as usual.”

“Thank you, Admiral.”

“EMH to the Bridge.” The doctor’s strident tones interrupted them.

“Janeway here, Doctor. How is Mr Turner?”

“He will be fine, Admiral. I have him in an induced coma at the moment, but I don’t foresee any long term complications. Your first aid was masterfully executed, Admiral. You may very well have saved his life.” Chakotay looked pointedly at Kathryn.

“Thank you, Doctor. I must have had a good teacher.” Kathryn gave Chakotay a playful sneer in return. The Doctor would live another day.

“I’ll keep you posted on his condition, Admiral.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” She cut the link. “Well, everybody, since you’ve come all this way, I suppose we should get this show on the road. What were your plans, Tom?”

“We have clearance from the Kiribati government to land Voyager on your island, and from that point on it’s up to you.”

“Fine. Mr Tuvok, shall we take her down?”

“Aye, Admiral. All hands, Code blue. All hands to code blue stations. Engineering, take the warp core off line, vent all plasma from the nacelles and transfer power to atmospheric thrusters. Mr Paris, at your leisure.”

Tom turned to the conn and began tapping controls. “Ok, atmospheric controls at standby, landing mechanisms on line, inertial dampers at maximum.”

“All decks report ready, Mr Tuvok.” Tuvok nodded at Ayala.

“We’re on our way, Admiral.” Tom extended the landing struts.

“Landing struts down.”

“Environmental controls on standby.” A few moments later they could see the landing site. It was towards the centre of the island, on what had once been an ancient aircraft landing strip. Tom set Voyager down gently.

“Engines disengaged, thruster exhaust vented. You’re home, safe and sound, Admiral, Commander.”

“Thank you, Tom, and welcome.”

Some of the crew had opted for remaining on board Voyager for their stay, but most were happy to camp on the beaches. Meals were organised and plans were made for the reunion and ceremony on Friday. But in the meantime, Kathryn was impatient to get a better look at their new discovery and headed off to Astrometrics to use the sensors there.

Chakotay joined her after a quick visit to sickbay. The Doctor gave him an analgesic for his headache, a clean bill of health and reassured him that Wilson Turner was on the mend.

Kathryn was busy at the console when he arrived at the lab. She turned when he entered. “Hi there. How are you feeling?”

“Fine. The Doctor gave me the all clear and Wilson is improving.”

She touched the side of his face and smiled. “Good.” Turning back to the readings and the screen, she pointed at the readouts. “Have a look at this.”

The sensors showed a large seemingly hollow object, entirely encased in rock. It looked like a vessel of some sort.

“Do you think we could transport that out of there with Voyager’s transporters?”

“I think so. B’Elanna might have to do a few modifications, but since we’re on the ground, nearly all power could be transferred to the transporters without endangering the ship. We’ll talk to her later and perhaps tomorrow we’ll find out what the hell that is.” She turned to him again. “Chakotay, this is an amazing discovery. You should be very proud. If this is what we think it is, it’ll turn the scientific community on its ear. I’m so pleased for you.”

“It is incredible. Who would have thought. And Kathryn, I’m just so happy that you’re here to share this, and truly, much of the credit belongs to you. If you hadn’t shown up, I’d still be picking away at those core samples and it might have taken years to get to this point. So thank you. You make a great sidekick.”

“Side kick, my ass. I’m your partner in crime. Well, your partner anyway.”

“Soon to be my wife.” He leant down and kissed her, holding her close. “Come on, let’s go see what everyone is up to. We can’t do much more here until the morning and I’m keen for an early night.” He gave her a leering look, and then was all innocence as she levelled a stare at him. “What? It’s been a busy day. It’s not everyday you get shot at by a 20 million year old weapon and marooned at the bottom of the ocean.”

“Somehow I think your intentions are less than honourable, Commander.” She turned, grinning, then grabbed his hand. “Come on, let’s go. I’m looking forward to those dishonourable intentions. An early night? What an excellent idea.”

They beamed down to the beach and joined their crew around a bonfire, where they spent a few hours catching up on the lives of their friends and colleagues. It was wonderful to be surrounded by people that they knew and loved. They left early, knowing that the day ahead would be busy and they had some unfinished business of a personal nature to deal with before they slept.

As the door closed on their hut, Chakotay swept Kathryn into his arms and carried her to their bed. After the worry and excitement the day, their emotions quickly translated into intense and passionate lovemaking. Chakotay’s lips and hands travelled Kathryn’s body, touching and caressing, committing every part of her to memory. Kathryn was lost, her desire increasing exponentially as his touch aroused and soothed, teased and tortured, his fingers and lips finding all the points on her body that screamed pleasure and joy. As he slammed himself into her and she thrust herself on to him, her mind was filled with the blinding light of ecstasy as they both climaxed together. Sated and exhausted, they held each other close all night long. Their latest brush with death reminding them of the capricious nature of life and the importance of cherishing each day they spent together.

The new day dawned, and anxious to get to work, they were up and dressed before Amana knocked on their door.

“Good morning, Chakotay. Good morning, Kathryn. The island is very busy today. Many of your friends are down at the beach already. Would you like to take your breakfast down there? I have it packed for you.”

Kathryn took the basket from the young man. “Thank you, Amana. That was very thoughtful. Come on, Chakotay. Let’s go and see what everyone is up to.”

They bid Amana farewell and headed down to the beach.

Many of the crew were in the water, swimming and splashing. Someone had set up a beach volleyball net and several people were trying to play, not very successfully it seemed.

They found B’Elanna sitting in the shade with Miral, who was merrily digging holes and flinging sand all over the place. They sat down with them and shared their fruit and taro cakes.

“What time did you want to get started on the transporters, Kathryn? It shouldn’t take long to do the power transfer. I’ll need a few of the engineering crew and Harry at Transporter controls. And where are we going to transport it to? Do you have a site in mind?”

“Somewhere isolated and well away from any settlements, and I’d also like to rig some sort of containment field around the area, just in case. We have no idea what’s inside that thing or if there are more active weapons. After yesterdays experience, I don’t want to take any chances.” She was attempting to think of all contingencies.

B’Elanna took a piece of shell out of Miral’s hand that was heading for her mouth, handing her a small spade instead. “If we set up emitters around a large enough area, we could create a substantial containment field and use the ship’s deflector to maintain its integrity.” Miral was heading off towards the beach. B’Elanna grabbed her and hauled her back into the shade.

Chakotay took her from B’Elanna and lay down, letting the little girl crawl all over him. Kathryn watched as he was poked in the eye, had sandy fingers stuck in his mouth and had his nose pulled. Miral was fascinated by his tattoo. She was trying to get a handful of it and not having much luck, so she leant over and took a bite. Chakotay yelped. Kathryn and B’Elanna laughed. Miral’s chin started to quiver, so Kathryn picked her up. “Oh sweetie, did that big mean man give you a fright? It’s alright.” She patted Miral on the back, but then she soon started struggling to get back down on to the sand. Kathryn let her go and laughed as she stalked towards Chakotay again.

“Oh no, you don’t. Those Klingon genes are far too potent. She’s already taking bites out of people.” He grinned and B’Elanna laughed.

“Genetically, Tom didn’t get much of a look in, except that she loves cartoons.” B’Elanna shrugged. “What can you do? I’m destined to live with two children.”

They sat and chatted for a few minutes more and then made their way to Voyager to organise the containment field and transport protocols.

Two hours later they had found an appropriate site and set up the emitters. The transporter was locked onto its target and the deflector was powered.

Kathryn checked over the readings. “Harry, send a deflector pulse to the emitters.”

“Aye, Admiral. Deflector pulse online and the containment field is operational.” He looked up at Kathryn, waiting for her orders.

“Ok Harry, let’s do it.” She tapped her comm badge. “Chakotay, are you ready there?”

Chakotay was at the site, monitoring it from a distance. “Everything’s in order here. Whenever you’re ready, Kathryn.”

“Harry, energise.”

They all held their breath and waited for word from Chakotay.

“Transport complete.” Harry watched and waited.

She tapped her comm badge again. “Janeway to Chakotay. What’s your status? We’re dying here”

“My God, Kathryn, you have to see this. It’s definitely a ship of some sort. It looks like a long range probe of some kind. There are no power signatures coming from the vessel, but we’ll need to get closer to scan the interior through the containment field.”

“I’m on my way, Chakotay. Harry, do you want to take a look?”

“Do I?” He was grinning from ear to ear.

“Let’s get to the transporter room. Tuvok, you have the bridge.”

Kathryn and Harry hurried to deck four and transported to the site.

They both stood awestruck. The ship was about 100 metres in length and around 20 metres high and was shaped in an ellipse. It was not obvious where the engines were or whether this was a space faring vehicle or not. They wouldn’t know until they got inside.

“Chakotay, have you scanned the interior yet?”

“It’s definitely hollow. There are several chambers. One large one towards the rear of the vessel. I suggest we send in a probe to take readings of the interior and get some visuals.”

“Absolutely. B’Elanna, did you hear that?”

“Yes, Kathryn. I have a class 5 probe ready.” There was a moment’s pause. “It’s in. Visuals should be coming through now. I’ll transfer them to your padds. Kahless! There are some of them in there.”

Kathryn and Chakotay stared at the padd. The interior of the vessel was lit by the eerie glow of the probe, but the outlines of Voth like creatures could be seen. Each was in a capsule of some sort, probably some sort of hibernation chambers or cryogenesis. Harry was looking at his padd with his mouth open in surprise. Kathryn turned to Chakotay and grinned. He let out a whoop and picked her up and swung her around. This was a monumental discovery and realistically the beginning of a lifetime of work and study. For Chakotay it was an extremely satisfying result after all the work and wondering. His only regret was that he couldn’t get word to Professor Gegan.

After walking the perimeter of the containment field and taking readings from all angles, they transported back to Voyager. Kathryn and Chakotay immediately made their way to the ready room. As the doors shut behind them, Chakotay grabbed Kathryn, pushed her up against the wall and kissed her hard on the lips. She clutched handfuls of his shirt and pulled him closer as they ground their bodies together. “Kathryn, you have no idea how many times I wanted to do that over the years.” He was talking into her neck as he nipped at the skin, then kissing it better.

“Oh, I think I have an inkling, Chakotay. You weren’t the only one who had fantasies, you know? Mmmm…” He was rubbing his hand over her bottom and working the buttons undone on her shirt. The door chimed, and they pulled away from one another reluctantly. Chakotay gave her an exasperated look and mouthed the word, *Tuvok*. She had to suppress a giggle. Chakotay moved to the upper level and sat on the couch, with a padd strategically placed on his lap. Kathryn tidied herself quickly and said “Come.”

Tuvok stepped over the threshold and Chakotay coughed behind her. It was all she could do not to guffaw in Tuvok’s face. He appeared unaware of their strange behaviour.

“Admiral, Commander, congratulations on your discovery. A most satisfactory outcome. Here are the latest sensor readings from the vessel, and the Doctor just informed me that Mr Turner is now conscious and recovering well in response to his excellent care.” Vulcans may not be the jokers of the galaxy, but they did good sarcasm. Kathryn took the padd from Tuvok and dismissed him with a nod and a smile. She took it up to Chakotay and they spent a couple of hours going over the data.

Once they had the data compiled, they contacted Starfleet command and the Academy, and arrangements were made for the vessel to be transported back to Headquarters. There would be much to discuss with the Admirals at the Academy, but Kathryn had insisted that Chakotay was to remain in charge of the project. There would be a cross section of sciences involved in the investigations and analysis of the ship and its occupants, but she felt it was important that Chakotay had the chair and was the principle academic to oversee and direct the venture.

She and Chakotay would have to split their time between the Academy and Kiribati. There were still many years of work here on the island investigating the deep sea chasms and reefs, and back at headquarters there would be the analysis of the Voth vessel to oversee. Starfleet would have to negotiate the installation of a small permanently manned research station here on the island.

Their lives were about to take a dramatic shift and she was eager to get started on this new life. Tomorrow was their wedding day and the beginning of a whole new chapter in her life, one that several months ago she wouldn’t have considered ever embarking on. She smiled to herself. Sometimes the benefits far outweighed the risks, and the benefit was standing right here beside her, as handsome and as desirable as ever. Her heart beat a little faster and heat radiated through her body as she watched his hands tapping the console on her desk, her mind remembering those hands on and in her body. She squirmed deliciously at the thought. He unconsciously began stroking her back as he concentrated on the readouts. She was having very wicked thoughts about many of the fantasies that had run through her mind over the years, involving her First Officer and various pieces of furniture in her ready room. She was leaning over to kiss him when the comm chimed again.

Tuvok’s clipped voice came over the speaker. “Admiral, your presence is requested in the Transporter room immediately.” Kathryn groaned inwardly. Tuvok and his inbuilt ‘people having fun’ warning system. Fantasies would have to wait until later.

She looked at Chakotay with raised eyebrows. “That was quick. I bet it’s some Academy sycophant wanting to nose in so he can take the credit.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on. Let’s go and get this over with.” She reached for his hand and they left the room.

They stood in front of the platform in the transporter room waiting for the new arrival. Several forms began to coalesce and Kathryn gasped and looked at Chakotay. He smiled down at her knowingly.

“Mom! Oh. Phoebe, Jack, oh my God. How?…When?…” She jumped up on the platform and hugged her mother, and then Phoebe. She looked over her shoulder at Chakotay. He was smiling, not the least bit surprised by the visitors. “You!” She spoke accusingly at him. “When did you arrange this?” He just shrugged his shoulders. With her arms wrapped around her mother and Phoebe, they moved off the platform, Jack Preston, Phoebe’s husband bringing up the rear.

“Chakotay, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person at last.” Gretchen Janeway moved down towards Chakotay. He bent down slightly as Gretchen kissed him on the cheek. She stood back slightly and gave him the once over. “He’s a handsome specimen, Kathryn. He’ll do quite nicely.”

Kathryn glared at her mother as her cheeks flamed. “Mother!”

Chakotay laughed and moved forward to greet Phoebe and her husband. “Hello, Chakotay, I’m Phoebe, Kathryn’s long suffering younger sibling and this is Jack.”

Jack stepped forward with his hand extended. “Phoebe’s long suffering better half.” Jack and Chakotay shook hands.

Gretchen came up to Chakotay and took his arm as they left the transporter room. “Thank you for the invitation. It’s nice to know someone remembered we existed. We have hardly heard a word from Kathryn since she came to the island. Mind you, now that I’ve met you, I’m not surprised that she’s been so preoccupied.” She gave him a wicked grin, one he recognised. He’d seen it all too frequently on her daughter’s face these last few months.

“I’ve arranged quarters for you here on Voyager, unless you prefer camping on the beach with the crew?” Chakotay turned around and looked at Phoebe and Jack.

Jack silently checked with Phoebe. “Voyager sounds fine, thanks Chakotay.”

Kathryn was trailing along behind, still reeling from the shock of having her family here on her ship. When did he manage to organise this? She was very pleased. To be honest she’d been so preoccupied with the discovery and recovery of the Voth vessel that things like inviting her family to her wedding had slipped her mind. Something of an oversight, but thankfully Chakotay was on the ball. She was deeply touched. He knew her so well. She would have been bitterly disappointed if they’d not been part of their special day.

They finished their brief tour of the ship in the mess hall. Tom and B’Elanna were there with Miral. Tom stood up to greet them. “Gretchen, how are you?” He bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He shook hands with Jack and gave Phoebe a quick hug. B’Elanna shuffled over in her seat and Phoebe sat down next to her. “Hello, Miral. How are you honey?” Miral put her arms out and climbed over to Phoebe. “Still shy I see.” She and B’Elanna laughed as Miral made herself at home on Phoebe’s lap. The two old friends sat and chatted as everyone caught up on news from home. Kathryn was still slightly stunned, but so grateful for Chakotay’s thoughtfulness.

They all had lunch together and then got everyone settled in their accommodations. Kathryn spent a couple of hours catching up with her mother and Phoebe. Her mother kept looking sideways at her and smiling. Finally Kathryn couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Mom, why do you keep looking at me like that? I haven’t got food in my teeth, have I?”

“No, Kathryn, but I think you might have a little surprise tucked away somewhere. We’ll just wait and see, shall we?” Kathryn looked over at Phoebe and rolled her eyes. She hated when her mother got all cryptic and mysterious. The best way to deal with it was to ignore it, because the more you tried to find out what she was thinking, the more inscrutable she became.

“Kathryn, I’m very happy for you. Chakotay is a good man and I know you’ll be very happy. He contacted us a few days ago and asked me officially for your hand. It was very old fashioned, but so very charming. Was he the reason you’ve been so unhappy since you got home?” Kathryn hung her head, remembering the misery she’d felt all those months ago. The contrast to her life now, as opposed to then, was immeasurable. Every day she felt blessed that she’d taken the risk and followed Chakotay to this far away paradise, and all that they’d achieved was just the icing on the cake. Her life had taken on a completely different purpose now, one that now tied her to this wonderful man who, by this time tomorrow, would be her husband.

Kathryn said her good nights to her mother and sister and transported down to the beach. Chakotay had been showing Jack around the island. She found them down by the lagoon. Jack decided to head back to his room for an early night. Kathryn had him beamed back to the ship and she and Chakotay stood and watched the sunset. The wedding was planned for the morning and there would be celebrating all afternoon. The islanders were very excited. A wedding was a high point in the year’s celebrations and they were very excited and honoured that their friend Chakotay and his Kathryn had chosen to marry here on their island. Chakotay had asked the chief to give a special blessing to their joining. In the fading light, Chakotay and Kathryn made their way back to their hut.

The following morning after breakfast, Gretchen and Phoebe whisked Kathryn away from Chakotay to prepare her for her ceremony. Kathryn had chosen to wear traditional islander dress. The women of the village had made a beautiful blue sarong for her which was simply wrapped around her body and tied at the front and being a beach wedding, no shoes were needed. Miri had woven a beautiful floral wreath for her hair and B’Elanna had put together a small posy of peace roses for her to carry. Kathryn was a picture of calm in a sea of frenzy. Her mother and sister were fluttering about, worrying about makeup and hairstyles. Chell and Tom were organising the post wedding celebration, and were coming and going with questions for Gretchen regarding food and drink. Kathryn sat back and watched the pandemonium, completely at ease. This day was the culmination of almost eight years of wanting and waiting. She had no doubts or uncertainties. This was the one thing in her life that she was most sure of. She was at peace.

After Kathryn had been bustled away from him this morning, Chakotay had spent a few hours helping the villagers dig the food pits and prepare the area near the lagoon where the ceremony would take place. Amana and his friends had constructed an arch from palm fronds and the women had decorated it with hibiscus and frangipani. Once all was in order, he took a few moments alone to contemplate his life.

He stood looking out at the clear blue ocean and thought back over the years. His youth and much of his adulthood had been spent in anger. Like Kathryn, he had been dealt some crushing blows, but all that had changed after his encounter with this complex, strong and beautiful woman who, in a few hours, would be his wife. He thanked the spirits for bringing her to him, and acknowledged the whimsical nature of fate that had brought them together eight years ago. She’d been sent to capture him, but had in fact rescued him, and he would forever be in her debt. He thought of his parents and how much they would have loved Kathryn. His father, in particular, would have adored her. Her strength and intellect, coupled with her tender soul, would have enchanted his father, and Chakotay knew he would have been proud to call her daughter.

He took delight in knowing that their love for each other was strong and enduring, tempered as it had been through the trials and travails of their seven year journey back from the Delta Quadrant. He could think of no other being that he would care to share his life with, other than Kathryn, and he knew that she would love him, challenge him, encourage him and enthral him for all the years to come. He smiled to himself as he felt his inner being settle into its rightful place. He was at peace.

The time had come and the crew and villagers had congregated on the beach. Most had opted for casual dress and the scene was a cacophony of colour and splendour. Tuvok stood regal and proud in his native Vulcan robes and beside him the Chief stood looking magnificent in his native regalia. Chakotay waited patiently for Kathryn’s arrival. All turned as she began her walk towards him on the arm of Tom Paris. Chakotay smiled and held out his hand to her as she approached. He kissed her hand and they stood side by side, surrounded by their friends and loved ones. The Chief stepped forward and placed leis around each of their necks and bestowed upon them a blessing for long life and love, leaning forward and rubbing noses with each of them. Tuvok then took the floor and the marriage vows were exchanged. The ceremony was simple and brief, but it was heartfelt and all those that were witness to it were deeply moved. When they turned to greet the crowd as husband and wife, a huge cheer erupted from all those present, and one and all surged forward to offer their congratulations. The moment was sublime.

The celebration lasted all afternoon and evening. Food and drink were plentiful and the dancing and singing went on well into the night. Kathryn was so happy, happier than she had ever been. Gretchen watched on with delight, her soul filled to overflowing, as she watched her eldest daughter so in love and so joyous. Kathryn, who had lost so much over the years, was now whole again and this man, who had chosen to be with her, took his place in Gretchen’s heart. She owed him much for bringing Kathryn back to them. At one point in the evening, Kathryn excused herself and went in search of the Doctor. Chakotay followed her exit with concerned eyes, but she returned shortly after, and smiling, threw herself into his arms.

“Are you alright, Kathryn?”

She stroked the side of his face. “Perfect, my love, perfect.” Kathryn looked across the room and met her mother’s knowing gaze. They beamed at one another and Kathryn nodded her head in affirmation. Gretchen was overjoyed. Her daughter’s life was complete.

By the early hours of the morning, most of the guests had left the beach and only a few stragglers remained. Kathryn and Chakotay walked away from the revellers and found a secluded stretch of sand to watch the sunrise. Chakotay sat leaning up against a palm tree, pulling her down to sit between his legs. He held her close, tucked against his chest. He kissed her neck and rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek resting against hers.

“Happy?” He could feel her smile.

“Blissfully.” She wrapped her arms around his as he held her. “I was feeling a little unusual last night and went to see the Doctor. I hope you’ll be as happy as I am about the reason.” She turned and gave him a long and lingering kiss. “How does parenthood sound as the next step in our journey?” She watched his face as the impact of her statement took hold.

“We’re going to have a baby? Oh Kathryn, I’m…. I don’t know what to say.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “A baby” he whispered, and got a far away look in his eyes and his face slowly broke into a broad smile. He turned her in his lap so she was straddling him. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. Her heart was pounding. It hadn’t been her intention to get pregnant. She hadn’t really thought about it. She was heading towards her mid forties and she’d assumed the likelihood was remote, but, things happen.

He moved her back slightly, and holding her shoulders and frowning, looked her in the eyes. “Are you alright? What did the Doctor say?”

“I’m fine.”

He gave her an exasperated look. He’d heard that more times than he cared to remember, and most often when it was far from the truth. “Kathryn,” he growled at her.

“No, truly. I’m fine, Chakotay. The Doctor said that I’m the healthiest I’ve been in years. This island lifestyle has done wonders for me.” She quirked a crooked smile at him. “It’s only a matter of weeks, but even at this early stage he thinks things should go well, so stop worrying. I want to enjoy this and I want you to as well.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he chuckled. This was wondrous news and more than he could have dreamt of. She moved around again, resting back against his chest with her head lying up on his shoulder. He placed his hands protectively over her stomach and appealed to the spirits to watch over his wife and child. He was feeling a deep and profound connection with his ancestors and the moment was affirmed as the suns first rays broke over the new day. And as this new day began, the lovers rose and stood together at the waters edge. Their destinies, so entwined for so long, were now fulfilled. They turned, and hand in hand walked up the beach to begin the first day of the rest of their lives.

 -Fin-


End file.
